| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Kwaidan by Lafcadio Hearn: to fear."
After dark the priest and the acolyte went away; and Hoichi seated himself
on the verandah, according to the instructions given him. He laid his biwa
on the planking beside him, and, assuming the attitude of meditation,
remained quite still,-- taking care not to cough, or to breathe audibly.
For hours he stayed thus.
Then, from the roadway, he heard the steps coming. They passed the gate,
crossed the garden, approached the verandah, stopped -- directly in front
of him.
"Hoichi!" the deep voice called. But the blind man held his breath, and
sat motionless.
Kwaidan |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Lin McLean by Owen Wister: Lord! his badness is all right--not sneaky. I'll take him hunting next
month, and then the foreman's wife at Sunk Creek boards him till school.
Only when they move, Judge Henry'll make his Virginia man foreman--and
he's got no woman to look after Billy, yu' see."
"He's asking one hard enough," said I, digressing.
"Oh yes; asking! Talk of adopting--" said Mr. McLean, and his wide-open,
hazel eyes looked away as he coughed uneasily. Then abruptly looking at
me again, he said: "Don't you get off any more truck about eldest son and
that, will yu', friend? The boys are joshing me now--not that I care for
what might easy enough be so, but there's Billy. Maybe he'd not mind, but
maybe he would after a while; and I am kind o' set on--well--he didn't
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| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Scenes from a Courtesan's Life by Honore de Balzac: wife, putting his arm round her, and pressing her to his heart.
"Amelie, you have saved me!"
"I brought you in tow from Alencon to Mantes, and from Mantes to the
Metropolitan Court," replied Amelie. "Well, well, be quite easy!--I
intend to be called Madame la Presidente within five years' time. But,
my dear, pray always think over everything a long time before you come
to any determination. A judge's business is not that of a fireman;
your papers are never in a blaze, you have plenty of time to think; so
in your place blunders are inexcusable."
"The whole strength of my position lies in identifying the sham
Spanish priest with Jacques Collin," the judge said, after a long
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The fourth excerpt represents the element of Earth. It speaks of physical influences and the impact of the unseen on the visible world, and is drawn from Scaramouche by Rafael Sabatini: "Let me warn you," said he, acidly, "that it is not wise to make
wild accusations against a nobleman. That, in itself, is a
punishable offence, as you may learn. Now listen to me. In this
matter of Mabey - assuming your statement of it to be exact - the
gamekeeper may have exceeded his duty; but by so little that it is
hardly worth comment. Consider, however, that in any case it is
not a matter for the King's Lieutenant, or for any court but the
seigneurial court of M. de La Tour d'Azyr himself. It is before
the magistrates of his own appointing that such a matter must be
laid, since it is matter strictly concerning his own seigneurial
jurisdiction. As a lawyer you should not need to be told so much."
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